The Ultimate Final Solution by David J Nixon
by David J. Nixon
Summary: This short story chronicles the rise of the Antichrist in my own End Times universe. It's been highly rated by many people as my best End Times piece of writing yet and it's quite a ride! Hang onto your seats because we're about to see the inner working


"**_The Ultimate Final Solution" _Written by David J. Nixon**

"_Good morning and welcome to the official Provisional World Alliance News Station. Making the headlines today is the Alliance's non-aggression treaty with the Western Coalition. Yesterday, amid fears of war Brother Christopher announced that he had personally spoken with Premiers Clark and Dawson to secure a peaceful resolution to the recent insurrection within the Alliance. Trouble erupted three weeks ago when the Western Coalition – a breakaway faction from the Western European Union supported by the United States – was formed as a rival force to the new global alliance, whose foreign policy initiatives are led by Brother Angelus Christopher. There were concerns that the conference taking place in Babylon today was really a meeting of a War-Cabinet to discuss the elimination of this new threat but they seem to have been allayed with the new peace settlement. There has been no word from leaders Clark or Dawson yet but a foreign affairs spokesperson for the coalition has been quoted as saying that this settlement will: 'mark the return of normality to our world after the events of That Day'. Many critics have noted that this is another addition to Brother Christopher's impressive résumé of solving disputes and one which might even rival his historic peace broking in the Middle East three months ago where he confirmed the seven year peace accords with Israel, stabilising that region for the first time in modern history. In other news, the new Citizenship Application Centres throughout the world have reported an encouraging initial response with…_"

Abigail removed her attention from the radio report to gaze in awe out of the cockpit window at the expanding vista of Babylon beneath her. She could see why they had appointed this city the great honour of being the Alliance's capital. It had the right mix of the ancient architecture combined with the newly built metropolis. Gleaming towers of crystal in which the future of the world was being orchestrated, sprawling lush green parks where the future world's population was growing up and in the centre the rising complex of the Alliance Palace – soon to become home of Brother Christopher. As the helicopter's course swung round giving another wide view of the city Abigail could but gasp in wonder at the untold beauty that was awaiting her. She was looking forward to lunch when she could go out for a walk through this paradise without a care in the world. She looked forward to exploring the dazzling streets, inviting landscapes and getting a tour of the crème de la crème Palace, if she played her cards right it might even be a personal one by Christopher himself, who was a man she admired beyond any other. A long time commentator on the political scene, Abbie had watched Angelus rise out of anonymity within the old Western European Union to become its foreign policy chief, independent of the fact that he was only a diplomat and had no political base in any of the member countries. Some had called it a miracle that he had got the power he had but Abbie could only think that the real miracle was that the world was still in one piece because without Brother Christopher she couldn't have seen the world surviving the weeks after That Day.

The vanishings of hundreds of millions all over the world causing the catastrophic resulting death toll had weakened the world incalculably. The Eastern Axis of Russia allied with the Arabs had escaped for the most part the same devastation as the West and took advantage of the disarray to lay siege to Israel in what now was referred to as the "One Hour War". Even with sweeping military superiority and the element of surprise on their side the Axis was defeated, seemingly, by the one factor they hadn't counted on: nature. The sky which their planes and missiles flew through rebelled against them and rained down fire causing all but a third of the attacking force to be destroyed. Israel had been saved and she wasn't about to take this attack lightly so she prepared a massive counter attack, including the use of her nuclear arsenal. With the West – particularly America with nearly every senior government official missing, including President Cartwright - crippled there seemingly was no hope to avert global Armageddon until Brother Christopher promised to safe guard Israel's sovereignty under the Neighbourhood Alliance, which would be enforced by the expanded European Union. He used the economic power of the federal Union to make this deal to Israel irrefutable and in doing so averted more strife in an already divisional world. Soon after the Provisional World Alliance was formed under the leadership of European President Dawson, also Prime Minister of Great Britain, for despite becoming a federalised nation state Europe still could not agree on a permanent President. Brother Christopher remained the Foreign Secretary for the meantime but Abbie believed he had greater designs and deserved better, because in her opinion he was more qualified and competent for the position of President – of in effect the entire world – than Dawson.

The helicopter's journey continued on for several more minutes before it touched down on the landing pad atop of the Palace. As Abbie disembarked she marvelled over the magnificent glass domed roof that made up the centre of the Palace. Here in the Middle East the sun rarely didn't shine so she could only imagine how beautiful it must be to live and work beneath this dome with the sunlight continually shining in. She was directed through an exterior entrance into the inner workings of the Palace, down a long flight of stairs and then through another set of doors until she came into the inner sanctum. She walked forward towards the railing of the balcony and surveyed the buzz of activity beneath her as the Palace's staff busied themselves making Babylon work. A tap on her shoulder caused her to turn around to find herself facing Laurie McCreedy.

"_Abigail!_" He exclaimed putting his arms around her and pulling her close. "_I'm glad you could make it away from Paris at such short notice. I put in a personal word with Brother Christopher to get you here as we're going to need you in the days ahead so it'd a waste for you to be stuck back in Paris._" She wasn't sure how she could reply to this other than with the customary greeting she was used to giving old friends. Laurie had gone to school with her, although he was three years her senior and they'd known each other from their frequent exchanges over the debating floor on the politics of the day. Back then things were so much simpler than they were today but she preferred things now as at least there wasn't the constant threat of worldwide war to contend with every waking moment.

"_So Laurie, I hear that you've been given a promotion?_" she asked as they turned to walk along the platform and onto the grand staircase, which would take them to the meeting room on the ground floor.

"_Yes as a matter of fact and I'm very excited about it all. I can't believe that Brother Christopher personally has proposed me as Vice-President of the Alliance. This is the job I've always been after and despite him and I rarely seeing eye to eye – you'll remember that I almost vetoed his appointment in the old Western European Union – he's given me this great job nomination. Had I been him and the roles been reversed I doubt I'd have been so kind but rather I'd have had taken him out so I didn't have to put up with his trouble any longer._"

"_And what does President Dawson think about this?_" Abbie asked insecurely because this was the problem with the Alliance today. It didn't have a clear President any longer with Dawson breaking away with Clark to form the Western Coalition comprising America, Britain, France and Germany – the latter three being former members of the ten nation Western European Union, which gave Christopher his power in the first place. Although officially Dawson was President it wasn't as his office had been vacant for weeks now with him spending his time in London and Washington D.C. Technically if his appointment was confirmed Laurie would be the most powerful man in the world with the power to push for the impeachment of Dawson for founding the breakaway Coalition.

"_Dawson's a fool and Angelus knows it. You're going to hear a lot about how we're going to deal with him when you all meet later in the day._" He spoke with a cold but upbeat tone in his voice as he said this which caught Abbie's attention.

"_Are you not meeting with us as well then?_"

"_No, I've been ordered to Washington for a personal meeting with President Clark to try and persuade her to retract her support from the Coalition. We don't want America to be involved in this when things heat up. You've just caught me actually as I'm jetting off care of the air force on one of their fast fighter jets as Christopher wants me in Washington quickly – not quite sure of why though._"

Abbie wanted to ask exactly what he meant by "heat up" because as she'd heard on the journey in the political situation had eased significantly with the non-aggression settlement. The problems now were in the past but Laurie seemed to be advocating that there was a greater threat for problems in the future.

"_Have you heard the rumours that Jane's got cancer?"_

"_You're referring to President Clark I take it? Well yes we've all heard the reports and it'll cause a lot of trouble over there if the Yanks discover that they might need another President because this one's unfit for the job. They lost Cartwright in the Vanishings and that shocked them so this latest revelation can only be damaging. It's not as if the States have any power left so this will only be another blow and a kick in the mouth for them. However, good news for us in Europe – I mean in the Alliance._" He grinned at this sudden correction because Abbie knew that he really did mean his original phraseology. This wasn't about world wide unity this was about Europe extending its power of the world and it conforming or else. Europe finally was achieving what it had resolved to do after centuries of division: conquer the world rather than divide itself up in conquests.

"_Well I must be going as I don't want Angelus to withdraw my nomination if I don't get to Washington on time. Hopefully I'll see you tomorrow if you're here for my inauguration._" Abbie had smiled and offered her hand as a way of saying good bye but she stopped in the middle of her actions and stared at him. Inauguration? Only the President was inaugurated, the Vice-President was just appointed. Abbie knew that it didn't make sense for him to use this terminology. His face suddenly turned red and from her knowledge of him from the past she knew he had given too much away. The same had been when they had once went out together, he had a tendency to give too much away and it led to her slapping and storming out on him in the midst of their Prom night when he let slip he'd been less than faithful to her when he'd spent some evenings alone with her debating partner: Evangeline. "_Bye Abigail!_" He said quickly and made for the same door that she'd entered by, totally ignoring her outstretched hand. She could only think indignantly to herself: _fine then don't tell me_.

She continued to make her way down the grand staircase until she saw the glass fronted doors, which led the way into the conference chamber where they were meeting. Streaming in from the seamless ceiling far above her came the bright sun and she lifted her face to be illuminated by it before she stepped forward and through the double doors to be greeted by the sudden explosion of conversation of around a dozen men around the long, glass topped and wooden rimmed conference table. In the centre she saw the emblem of the Alliance, which she also noted had a computer generated representation of the globe on it, indicating four major cities with a large red dot and several other targets shown by blue dots. They all seemed to be concentrated in America, Britain, France and Germany from her knowledge of geography and her memory of the old European boundary maps because there hadn't been any national frontiers within the federal Europe for nearly a decade now. At 25 she could just remember how the map looked when she was a young teenager. Looking around she was able to pick out several important individuals seated around the table who all appeared to be animated in conversation with one another. Near the head of the table at either side sat Treasury Secretary Anderson and Alliance Affairs Spokesman Fleischer. Then proceeding along from there came the heads of the key departments along the left and the heads of the Alliance's Executive Committee – which still was the nations out of the old Western European Union alliance. However, Abigail noticed that there were 3 empty places where there should have only been one. Prime Minister Dawson wasn't there because he would be at the top of the table as President so Britain wasn't represented but neither were there the leaders of France and Germany. They apparently had been snubbed at the meeting because of their insurrection in joining the Western Coalition. Glancing around for her seat Abbie saw one with her name on it next to another young woman, whom she could only see from behind so she didn't recognise immediately who it was but as she walked around and then took her seat she realised who it was.

"_Abigail White!_" exclaimed the woman while at the same time Abbie whispered to herself: _Evangeline_, as she also silently groaned. Of all the people she had to meet again and sit beside it had to be Evangeline or as she once called her Eve for short.

"_How are you? I've not seen you in years now. I can't believe we've ended up working for the same administration. I thought you wanted to become an investigative journalist!_"

"_Work for the same administration… you don't work here too do you?_" Abbie asked cautiously not wanting to hear the inevitable answer.

"_Of course I do, I've been working for Angelus since I left school._" Abbie couldn't help but think to herself that she probably had been working for him both inside and out of the office knowing her reputation she quickly picked up in her senior year.

"_Oh really, I never knew. Well it's definitely a surprise to see you here. I'm relatively new to the Alliance as Press Secretary and no one told me that you worked here to._" she added in her mind that had anyone pre-warned her that she'd have stayed working as a journalist rather than accept this high profile position. "_Well life's full of surprises. Have you got any idea when this meeting is getting under way?"_

"_Yeah not for another two hours at least because there has to be some time allotted for something. I'd have expected you to be more in the know than me about everything that's happening around here. I just came down here to get acclimatised to the room and all the men in here so I'm not intimidated later when I give my presentation._"

"_What presentation is that?_" Asked Abbie in interest. This was the closest that she'd come to having a friendly conversation with Eve ever since their showdown outside of their Prom years before. That night had been one in which she'd let all her pent up anger and rage at Laurie's constant outside flirtations with girls overflow and directed them solely at Evangeline. They'd known each other for years, fought alongside in so many competitions and emerged triumphant. They'd decimated the arguments of many opponents in their time but in the end the real enemy came from within as Eve went off with Laurie. He was her first boyfriend and she was hurt to her very core by his betrayal of her. The only redemptive thought she could think was that at least those two never became anything serious.

"_It's just about the new Citizenship Application Programme. Angelus has appointed me as the overseer of the whole project. Before I had only been working on the Petra problem but he thinks I'd be better working on this project and who am I to argue with a man of such power and genius. You'll actually be interested in my presentation because we debated on an associated issue several times but my opinions have matured with the passage of time and I'm a lot wiser on the issue now than I was when we were girls._" Abigail was intrigued that Eve had been working on the Petra situation. Of course the media knew a little about the situation in the Jordanian desert but wasn't widely reporting it or giving it much concern. She herself knew very little about it other than the mutterings of her reporting colleagues about a siege of the ancient desert fortress of Petra, which had become the sanctuary to a group of religious fanatical terrorists, who had been causing disruption to the Alliance in the past few weeks.

"_And are you a little wiser when it comes to not stealing other people's guys now too, as if that's so then everything's great!"_ There was a definite tone of derision in Abigail's voice as she levelled this rhetoric at Evangeline. She'd made a unconscious promise to herself only seconds before that she wouldn't bring up the past only to desecrate it moments after.

"_You're still not bitter about that are you? I really hope you haven't gone and annoyed Laurie about it if you saw him before he left. It'd be a shame for you two to part still clinging onto the mistakes of a youthful past. Just remember the good times we all had so that he holds them with him rather than regrets of a wasted life. It'd be better for him that way. After all that's part of the point of his nomination._" Eve had been worse at keeping a secret than Laurie was and it appeared that she'd let slip of something here but she was unphased by it. She simply looked down and began to file away at her nails as she waited for the time to pass. All around the men were arguing and laughing, totally ignoring the two women at the table, as if they were some inferior product of humanity that didn't have to be listened to. Abbie had never been the strongest advocate of feminism but had always believed that women should be listened to. She only hoped that their presence at this table was more than a way to pay lip service to the politically correct culture and her beliefs.

She settled herself down to look over her files that were sitting on the table in front of her and the agenda for the meeting ahead. It was hastily typed up with several typos and bolted on handwritten additions. There was no mention of who was chairing the meeting but she just assumed that Prime Minister Dawson would be putting in an appearance. Him leading up the Alliance it would only be natural for him to lead this conference, despite the recent internal problems which had led to the birth of the breakaway Coalition. Had Brother Christopher not reached a peaceful settlement then it was likely that someone like Laurie would be taking the meeting because the Alliance would be at war with the leadership of the Coalition and Dawson couldn't be one of the Coalition's leaders and President of the Alliance under such circumstances because even at the moment it was hard enough to justify. However, with peace secured she assumed that the meeting would be held up because he was having to travel all the way from London to Babylon. She was tempted to go and take her stroll through the city early as the interregnum persisted but relented knowing that she would gain more by looking over her notes and being ready to outshine Eve during the meeting.

More than two hours passed and the midday sunlight coming through the roof had caused the entire complex to turn into a massive green house. The head was so bad that several portable fans had to be brought into the conference room as well as having the luxury air conditioning on. Abigail was starting to question how anyone could possibly live in this place when it became so hot. However, her thoughts were interrupted by the doors of the conference room flying open and everyone around the table promptly standing up as a gesture of respect. She guessed that Prime Minister Dawson had just arrived and that he was about to enter to room. She joined her colleagues on her feet and was surprised when in through the doors marched Brother Christopher flanked by his "secretary" Caroline. Abigail had heard all the rumours surrounding Caroline's relationship with Angelus too. There seemed to be a very complex and strange relationship between the two, especially considering the whisperings about Angelus's sexuality in the first place that were rife around the Alliance. She didn't know if it was out of jealousy that she disliked Caroline. Jealousy because she got to spend so much time around the man whom she herself admired so much and that Caroline might have been involved in a more than professional relationship with him, as she herself had often imagined herself being in. She watched with interest as he strode his way to the top of the table where he remained standing with a sinister look of authority on his face. He then gestured with his hands for everyone to sit down and himself took Dawson's seat at the table. Her arms shivered as he spoke for the first time.

"_Good afternoon everyone, I apologise for being late but there were several arrangements that had to be taken care of before we could begin the reformation in this meeting today._" He paused to pour himself a glass of water and sip at it before he continued. Abbie couldn't believe that she was less than a metre away from this man of greatness and she was so close that she could sense his power and exuberance radiating off him. "_President Dawson will not be joining us for this meeting nor any subsequent meetings._" Almost as a sudden after thought and correction he added in an address to the military personnel at the door: "_Seal the door, no unauthorised communications are allowed out of this room._" A shiver of fear went around the table because this meeting was turning into something very irregular indeed. The only people at the table looking comfortable were Eve and Angelus with Caroline standing him looking very resolute and proud.

Angelus continued uninhibited by the concern of those around him: "_As of this moment President Dawson is stripped of his power and position as head of the Provisional World Alliance. The natural line of succession will be adhered to. As you all may know I've put forward the nomination of Mr. Pendleton for the position of Vice-President of the Alliance. I am hereby calling a democratic vote of those gathered here on the matter to confirm this appointment now that President Dawson is impeached and unable to make that decision himself._"

"_Hold on a minute there Christopher!_" Exclaimed the President of Spain, who was one of the nations that made up the Executive Committee. "_Don't we get to vote on whether we depose President Dawson as well? Otherwise this could be seen as a military coup and that won't do any favours for us. And while we're on the matter what if we want to field other candidates for the position of Vice-President?_"

"_Sir, if you wish to speak you can ask the chair for the floor._" Said one of the military officers who had walked up behind him and who promptly forced him to sit down again. There was now a clear feeling of uneasiness in the room because it was looking more and more like a military take over of the Alliance. Angelus didn't seem unphased by this at all though and just continued:

"_We cannot allow a precedent to be set whereby we have a President who has led a rebellion against the world government and formed his own rival group with the American dissenters. We all met last week and agreed that Dawson would have to be removed unless the Coalition immediately disbanded and was assimilated into the Alliance. This has not happened and yesterday I negotiated the agreement that will keep the Coalition busy while we get our own internal politics sorted out. So I am hereby calling the vote as to whether Laurie Pendleton will be confirmed as our Vice-President and successor as President of the Alliance. All those in favour raise your hand._" Most hands around the table were raised into the air and the remaining few were raised when the call for those against was made. A clear majority supported Laurie's appointment and Abigail was silently pleased at this.

"_Well I'm sure that Mr Pendleton would be pleased to hear of his appointment. According to the line of succession in the Alliance's Covenant he is now President,_" Abbie stopped looking at Angelus as she heard Eve quietly giggle and looked around to see what was so funny but it wasn't immediately obvious. "_However, with that matter taken care of I as foreign policy chief am now Vice-President with the former Vice-President now elevated to Premiership, as is specified in Article 41 of the Covenant._"There was some dissent at this but no one gave it a voice and only murmurings around the table intimated that not everyone was pleased at this turn of events. Abbie could just imagine the headlines that evening when this news broke to the media and then remembered that it was her job to tell them.

"_Now presently we will move onto the next phase of this meeting but first we need to move to Code Blue._" Angelus nodded his head at another of the military officers, who immediately lifted the telephone on the wall and said these same words: "_Code Blue_" into the receiver. No one at the table seemed to know what they meant until the entire room shook and the lights flicked for a moment and a loud mechanic sound resonated through the air. People began to stand up in panic but Angelus just sat calmly with his hands supported by the table in front of his face. The four armed military personnel made everyone sit down and kept the room calm for the minute that the shuddering and noise persisted. It was only when the same phone rang and the military officer announced that "_Code Blue achieved_" that everyone returned their undivided attention to Angelus to see what this was all about.

"_We have a very advanced Palace here and this room has just descended into a secret and secure bunker beneath the surface. For you see it's time for us to crush the menace of the Western Coalition before this thorn in our side causes any real damage. They won't go away, that I'm certain of – not of their own accord that is. As the most senior person in Babylon now I am declaring a first strike against the Coalition's headquarters in Paris, Berlin, London, Washington D.C., New York and San Francisco. The latter two because if by some half chance President Jane Clark survives the initial blast in Washington I don't want her being able to set up office in her other strongholds. If you look at the display in the middle of the table then you'll see what our plan is." _He pointed at the emblem of the Alliance that Abbie had noticed when she entered the room with the computer overlay projected onto it. The four primary red dots now clearly were the four capital cities just mentioned by Brother Christopher and the blue ones must have been the ancillary targets he also made some reference too. Abbie knew that this would be a crippling blow against the Coalition which would be left without a leadership and any form of government. It would also result in war.

"_As you can see we will launch nuclear warheads with the maximum possible yield against these targets. It will take a very short time for our warheads to impact against their targets and because of the non-aggression settlement yesterday I'm confident that our enemies won't be expecting the attack. We have the element of complete surprise on our side and also that we have bases which will allow us to hit our targets within a matter of minutes. Our nuclear submarines off the coast of America are in the right position to deploy their missiles against their targets meaning that it's unlikely they'll be shot down or detected early. These cities will be decimated and along with them the Western Coalition._"

"_And just when exactly is this attack going to take place? Are we going to get a vote on this as well?_"Shouted the Spanish Premier again. For a moment silence engulfed the room as Angelus stood to his feet and surveyed the display on which white lines were moving towards the red and blue targets. Abbie watched him and the display and wondered if even Angelus would have the guts to make that computer simulation a reality.

"_If you want to vote then go ahead but it won't matter. For if you look at the display again you'll notice that the strike is already under way and look_" he pointed at the dots as one by one in quick succession the white lines intersected with them and a large circle of light blotted them out "_there goes Paris and there Berlin and London._" Abbie was shocked as she hadn't expected the attack to have started already and had only thought the display to be a computer simulation of the battle plan. She remembered immediately that she had just been in Paris that morning to be called here at Laurie's request as he's said just a few hours ago before he left and then with that thought the grim memory of where he was going returned just as Angelus spoke: "_And there goes the instigator of all the trouble President Clark in Washington._"

Surprising even herself Abigail found herself on her feet shouting at Angelus: "_But Sir, President Pendleton was meeting with President Clark in Washington!_" It was a greater surprise to her when her question was not met with a rebuke to sit down and be quiet but by a smile overpowering Angelus's face as be began to answer her outburst.

"_I believe Article 41 of the Covenant now declares me as President of the Provisional Alliance since the former President was sadly killed in the initial salvo of our campaign to eradicate the Western Coalition. He'll be remembered for his death trying to convince President Clark of her error in opposing the Alliance. Just for clarification there is no need to be concerned about reprisal nuclear attacks on us here. You'll notice I declared Code Blue, which has put all the defences of this city of alert and lowered us to a safe distance beneath the surface into a network of command and control bunkers, which will protect us if anything should get through. We expect the Western Coalition to eventually get back at us once the military realise their commander and chief is dead. It should be a very brief war and the only threat comes from America because I will immediately mobilise troops to invade Britain, France and Germany to quell any resistance that remains. I suspect we will have to cleanse America completely as I doubt they're the type who'll surrender without a fight. They will always cling onto their memories of their days of Imperial glory as the world's only superpower but they will never be able to compete against the only true global power today embodied in our government here. Well now that that item on the agenda has been dealt with I want to move the meeting on to discuss the new Citizenship Project but before I do are there any comments anyone has to be noted?_"

While the table erupted Abigail only sat quietly in contemplation. She was saddened in her heart at losing Laurie because she realised just how badly he'd been betrayed in this political power play. He obviously knew about the plan to cripple the Coalition because he had been hinting at as much when they spoke but he mustn't have been told about the attack on Washington. In fact it seemed only logical to her that he had been deliberately kept in the dark about the attacks on Washington and sent there so he'd be killed. Not only would this allow Christopher to become President of the Alliance but also it would remove from his side the greatest thorn throughout his political career and in doing so he destroyed three of the leaders who had given him his original power and position in the European Union. She was sickened by it all and couldn't believe that this was happening and she was here to witness it all. It was so brilliant she could only surmise that it had originated and been planned in the scheming and methodical mind of Brother Christopher himself. Her mind was divided because part of her respected this genius and daring on his part and then part of her hated him for killing all those innocent people and betraying Laurie. Her anger at his betrayal of her was forgotten and redeemed by his death. She was only comforted that he probably would never have known of his betrayal. He'd just die in the explosion and never know what caused it. She reasoned that this had to make his death less hurtful.

Her mind returned to the conference room because it had suddenly fallen very silent as Angelus was on his feet prowling around the table. He would stop and stand with his hands on the back of someone's chair for a few moments before moving on again. It was unnerving for everyone and Abbie noted that the Spanish Prime Minister was being particularly quiet because he'd seen that opposing Christopher could bring trouble and she also noticed that he was continually eying the guns of the military officers in the room. Then Angelus broke the silence and spoke facing the door, which was in the shadows and dark now because there was no more light flooding in from the Atrium illuminated by the vast glass domed ceiling.

"_My friends, the future is in our hands now. We are the architects of the future of our world and anyone who opposes us must be ripped out and silenced. The bloodshed now will make the future brighter because we will have dealt with the problems at their infancy rather than letting them grow and mature into a conflict that could plunge our whole world into a renewed chaos. I know what I'm talking about. I settled the Middle East after decades of war, I brought the world together and I won't tolerate any dissention from the Americans and their allies who have only been interested in getting power for themselves. What I do I do for the world, not myself!_

"_I'm now moving us onto the second point of this meeting's agenda because this is part of that new brighter future I've just been speaking about. The citizens of that new future are being made today and we have to ensure total citizenship of the new world we're creating. Over a month ago we set up the Citizenship Programme and began it on a voluntary basis around the world but I want to see it expanded so that everyone in the world is obligated to be a citizen of the Provisional World Alliance. The Americans, the British, the French and the Germans didn't want to be citizens and we've demonstrated what happens when you reject citizenship. This is not only a quelling of the opposition but a warning to all those who would think of opposing us in the future._" As he spoke he seemed to have a mesmerising effect upon the audience around the table. Abbie could feel herself agreeing with what he was saying although she didn't know why. Just her whole body was tingling and telling her that he was right and that she wasn't to resist it. Her feelings of injustice and anger at Laurie's murder ebbed away to be replaced by her former respect and admiration of Brother Christopher. So entranced was she that she didn't realise that Angelus had sat down and that Evangeline was now on her feet setting up the display to project a presentation on the table. As she began to speak Abbie's euphoria dissipated although she continued to cast fleeting glances at a very happy looking Angelus. Her contempt for Eve continued despite her new found respect for Angelus.

"_Well everyone, before I came to be appointed to head up the Citizenship Programme I was working on the Petra problem and those troublesome underground insurgents. The Believer's Underground have been causing more trouble over the Citizenship Programme and been able to escape the full arm of the law because they're not citizens and will never have to become citizens under current laws and under the problems inherent in the original Citizenship Programme. At the moment anyone can become a citizen by taking the identification Mark on their right hand or forehead but it's only voluntary. I heard this morning that so far we've had a few hundred million applications and we've opened centres to distribute the Mark throughout the world but it's still not enough._"

Abbie looked down at her right hand upon which was her identification Mark. It was a very simple design of a top row of three circles, a second and third row of three dashes and finally a fourth row of three circles. When she held her hand on its side it resembled binary code with 1001 for each column. She calculated in her head that this was 6 in binary. The purpose for having this same number in that pattern in three columns was beyond her but she was glad that she had taken it now while it was free as they'd probably start charging for it at some point knowing how things usually went.

"I am proposing an extension of the programme so that it becomes compulsory for everyone to receive the Mark because otherwise it's pointless wasting money on the scheme. Brother Christopher and I have met several times on this matter and I must say he's been a driving force behind its inception and its implementation. Now as President I believe his voice calling for people to take the Mark would be a great incentive."

"_That's never going to work!"_ Interrupted the Treasury Secretary who was next to Christopher at the head of the table. "_The people aren't going to take the Mark unless there are incentives to do so. Unless of course you're advocating that we mobilise the army to round up everyone in the world and march them to their nearest Citizenship Application Centre. Even then if we did that people can still refuse and then what are we going to do? This idea is flawed from the very beginning and I don't see why we should waste any more money on it!_" A murmur of ascent came from everyone around the table and even from Abbie herself who found herself hating the whole idea purely because Eve was behind it now. She just couldn't see why she'd been given the position other than that she'd beaten Caroline as the girl of Angelus's eye. So it was a disappointment to her when Eve confidently came back at the Treasurer:  
"_That's a relevant point and one we've already taken into consideration. I'm proposing that we make it that no one is allowed to buy or sell, work or play, eat or drink anything unless they are citizens and to be citizens they must bare the Mark on their right hand or forehead. Without that it will be a criminal offence punishable by the most severe means to allow them any rights."_ People began laughing at what she was saying and Abbie was taking a lot of enjoyment out of it as Eve was being humiliated in front of the leadership of the Alliance and maybe even her suspected lover. "_And you might find that funny but Treasurer picking up on your point we should go out and round up everyone and take them to their nearest Mark application centre, where they are offered the Mark. If they refuse then rather than let them go we can give them a final chance to take the Mark as they stand facing the final solution to the problem if they refuse. This idea is from Angelus himself and I'm particularly proud of just being part of his thinking on the matter._" She tapped a few keys on her presentation and the computer display in the centre of the table suddenly projected an image onto the screen of what she was advocating. The former disturbances around the table were silenced as everyone looked at the sobering solution to refusing the Mark.

"_Before you is the image of a modern guillotine and my… I mean our solution to any dissention against the Mark. You can take the Mark, live as a citizen and like normal or you can die as an enemy of the Alliance. It's really quite simple. Most people will hear that you must take the Mark or not be able to buy or sell and take it but for those more stubborn people the spectre of the guillotine standing in front of them will get them queuing up to become citizens._"

The Spanish Premier again stood up to speak but it wasn't with the defiant confidence he had displayed earlier but he spoke stammering over his words with hesitance and he looked very pale in the face. "_Ma'am… what do you propose to do with those who continue to refuse the Mark. You mentioned earlier the problem with the Believer's Underground of religious zealots in Petra who refuse the Mark on misguided religious grounds, what do you propose we do with them as remember not all of them have made it to Petra and millions still live in cities today._" Eve was going to reply to this but Angelus suddenly got to his feet and spoke for her. Abbie was too horrified at all she was hearing to take any pleasure that Eve had been deprived the chance to speak because it was dawning on her that Brother Christopher was a no messing kind of guy since he seemed to be the originator of this scheme.

"_I believe Miss White would agree with me when I say that it's really quite simple. We are going to invest the money in getting these guillotines and so if they're called upon to be used then we should use them. If these zealots wish to put their misguided beliefs over their life then we're helping the world in getting rid of them._" Angelus began to prowl around the table again and his voice began to drift in Abbie's head and ensconce her again. He was so commanding that she couldn't care that what he was saying was so wrong. "_Can you imagine a world without those fanatics? How pure, how holy it would be? Can you imagine what it would be like to live without those religious zealots who oppose the one world faith, the very creation that is helping the unite the world for the first time in history? The one world faith that is being led by Cardinal Anderson is bringing all the religions of the world together such as we have brought all the governments of the world together into a harmonious and powerful alliance. Together we are strong but divided we are desolate and only cause wars, because remember how many wars these zealots have caused. Let's not forget the terrorists who today are hiding out in Petra who have so publicly been blamed for the attacks on those already accepting citizenship. Let's never forget the sixty six killed in the attack on the Citizenship Application Centre in this very city, the metropolis of Babylon and capital city of the Alliance. We are going to give these misguided fanatics an opportunity to join us but if they refuse then I won't be shedding any tears when their heads roll off the blade of the guillotine. No more women indoctrinating their children in their lies, no more men fighting wars in defence of their faith. The world can only be a better place and that brighter future that we began talking about at the start of this point. I, as President of the Provisional World Alliance, am now issuing Alliance decree 666 that will have all people in the world be forced to take the Mark. Treasury Secretary you're ordered to see that guillotines are manufactured, purchased and distributed to all Citizenship Application Centres in the world by the end of the week. We can't be wasting time on this. Our new Press Secretary Abigail Alexander will issue a statement to the press and arrange a press conference with me as speaker so this can be announced to the world. We will arrange a public demonstration of the process with the bomber of the Centre here in Babylon. That will send a strong resounding message out to all the fanatics and make them question whether they really want to oppose the Alliance any longer._"

Abigail was woken up initially by hearing her voice being spoken by Angelus and she only could look into his eyes as he addressed her and become lost in them. She blinked, however, and shook her head to wake up when the phone on the wall rang suddenly causing everyone to look around suddenly with a jump. The discussion had been so dark that they all were surprised by this sudden interruption. Looking around as Angelus answered the phone in person this time and then shutting her eyes as it was slammed down, Abbie began to think about what she was going to say to the press. The barrage of questions that would be awaiting her would be immense but she couldn't think about that as Angelus suddenly was back at the head of the table smashing his fists down on the glass top causing it to crack. She didn't understand what was wrong until a radio was switched on at Angelus's command at the side of the room by one of the soldiers. Out of it came a familiar voice and one that Abigail had never expected to hear again.

"_People of America, this is your President. I have survived the attacks of this morning but only just. Our nation is in flames this afternoon but we shall not allow this flagrant, unprovoked assault on our land go unanswered. I have authorised our military to launch a full retaliatory strike against the Provisional World Alliance. They tricked us and we now believe Brother Angelus Christopher to be leading them as President Pendleton was sadly killed in the initial blast in the White House. I am now signing a document that tenders all power of this office to the Vice-President who is in a secure location with the military and who will now be directing this war as President of the United States. May God bless him and God bless this mighty land of America against the devils in Babylon who have tried to destroy us this day._"

"_How did she survive?_" was the question exploding around the table as a furore broke out. It wasn't allowed to continue though as Angelus raised his voice above everyone else's shouts.

"_It doesn't matter how she survived she and her land is about to die. Someone get onto General Macarthur and authorise him to level every city in America as this war is ending now. If anyone wishes to contest this decision make yourself known now._" Despite sounding angry and murderous at the moment – the most uncomposed and frightening that Abbie had ever seen him and clearly Caroline as well because she was now cowering in the corner of the room rather than standing just behind him – there did come a voice of dissent and not surprisingly it was the Spanish Premier again who throughout had been a thorn in Christopher's side during the meeting. Standing to his feet and pushing the chair out from behind him so it wouldn't be so easy for him to be sat down again he shouted at Angelus in a tone that no one had dared address him in before.

"_You are a megalomaniac; you've for all intense purposes launched a coup of this government today murdering the two most senior people in it along with countless millions of civilians. You've thrown this alliance into a war it didn't want; you're now condemned many of our own citizens to death as a result of the American counter attack. You've plotted to murder our citizens and you're about to condemn hundreds of millions of people in America to their deaths. Now I might be a voice in the wilderness here but I will not bow, I will not conform because what you're advocating is wrong and I won't be a part of it. This far and no further. Spain would be better off on its own rather than with your crazy alliance!_"

Silence filled the room as everyone's eyes turned from Solana to focus on Brother Christopher who looked a picture of calmness now. His eyes seemed to be enflamed but beyond that he appeared calm and resolute. This appearance was shattered though when he reached across the table and with incredible strength ripped Solana off his feet to send him colliding head first into the glass top of the table causing blood to spurt forth all over it. Then in a single clean movement he drew the pistol from one of the military officer's sheath and rammed it hard into Solana's head before shouting at the top of his voice: "_You want to oppose me then you oppose this Alliance and will die as an enemy of the state. It's only a shame we don't have a guillotine down in the bunker to let you die like one of our other enemies._" Brother Christopher then with a single movement flipped Solana onto his back causing him to scream in pain as broken glass pierced into him. Everyone around the table could see his bloodied face which was badly cut from the impact and shattering of the glass. His eyes were full of tears and he was shivering out of terror of what was to come next. The black identification Mark on his forehead was surrounded by a pool of blood that was starting to run down the side of his head to create a waterfall being collecting on the river basin of the table. Angelus continued his rage: "_You don't deserve to have that Mark of citizenship atop of your head because you've committed insubordination against the President of all citizens of the world."_

Surprising everyone Solana shouted out in defiance: "_A President elected by no one and an office gained through murder and treason. I didn't swear any loyalties to you and so I won't die without my voice being heard you murdering fool!_" Angelus's gun was rammed into Solana's forehead right on top of his Mark and Abbie shut her eyes as he yelped with pain from the hard impact that caused more blood to spurt forth. She couldn't believe that she was witnessing a public execution. Yes Solana had been an idiot causing all this trouble but Angelus had directly asked if anyone had any objections to what he was proposing. Solana was right in many respects in what he said and she was tempted to protest against his treatment but something held her back. She didn't know if it was her respect, admiration bordering on love of Brother Christopher or her fear of what would befall her if she did but she knew that she couldn't speak out in defence of this poor man. But of all the men in the room she couldn't believe he was about to kill Solana not after their connection together. She was expecting a gunshot to ring out piercing Solana's head and the table beneath it but was shocked and taken totally aback when the enraged and crazed Angelus turned his head to Caroline behind him and beckoned her to get him a glass of water because he was thirsty. The poor girl was shocked too but quick to do as she was asked and bring him a glass of water. He again only took a sip of it and now Abigail was expecting the gun to be fired but it wasn't. He turned his attention to the table again and addressed them calmly as if they were still discussing business civilly around the table and as if the possession that had made him appear as a monster was passed.

"_I've just realised that we've failed to follow Article 42 of the Covenant by declaring a new foreign policy chief and a new Vice-President below me. If there are no objections I'll be appointing as my Vice-President Miss Evangeline White and be combining the position of foreign policy chief with that of President._" He looked around and everyone out of fear of the paused scene before them consented. Calmly now Angelus returned his attention to Solana but it was in a very matter of fact and dismissive way because he simply stated: "_But knowing you for as long as I have, I guess you have some objection?_" before he fired off a round from the pistol into his head. Everyone suddenly turned away as blood erupted everywhere and the bang resonated off the walls of the room.

Abbie collapsed to the floor in a feint unable to hold her composure any longer. The heat inside her had been building and she was sweating profusely but that gun shot had been the final straw. She couldn't stand it any more and nor could she stand Eve becoming Vice-President because after everything she'd heard at that meeting it was clear that she posed a greater danger than just stealing her boyfriends. She didn't know if she could respect or love Angelus anymore after what she had just witnessed. She couldn't believe that someone with so much power, someone whom she had always admired could be so cold blooded but so calm at the same time. It was as if there was something inside him that would take over him and it scared her. How could she love someone with something so dark and evil inside them? Eve and Caroline could have them as far as she was concerned and for that matter Solana too if he was still alive because that was the ultimate shock of that afternoon in the bunker beneath the Alliance Palace in Babylon. Angelus had killed his real lover of so many years in sight of everyone without an ounce of humanity or compassion in it. The rumours Abbie had known that circulated throughout the Alliance for months on end would finally be given some rest today but it was at an incredible cost and she didn't know herself what she'd ultimately pay for being allied with this man, this lunatic, this Brother Angelus Christopher.

The words that she heard as she came back into reality again lying on the floor made her want to collapse again because it wasn't a dream, none of this was a dream and even if it had been it would have been a nightmare:

"_I am the ruler of this world now and I shall be forever! All who oppose me will die._"

**THE END?**

"**_The Ultimate Final Solution_**" – Dedicated to my most trusted Vice-President and favourite Senior Student Councillors: Jane, Eve and Abbie. I hope none of you get any ideas from this and start plotting to overthrow me!


End file.
